In a lot of shi-- trouble!
by FictionalFantasy
Summary: When one small mistake leads to a lot of trouble, Archer must change his ways before he loses all of those who are even remotely close to him but that only happens when the realisation metaphorically hits him in the face, although actually hitting him probably would have done just as well and made a lot of angry co-workers feel much, much better. (Rated M because it's Archer!)


**A/N: My first Archer fanfic as I was quite surprised at the lack of Archer fanfiction there is on here and I love this show so much! I tried to structure the story how an episode would be structured with constant scene jumps and brief time skips which although can miss out some of the details, still keep the story clear. I was initially going to post this in several chapters but as I started writing, I couldn't stop writing and I didn't want to break it down when I finished. **

**Out of the main cast, I didn't include Krieger in the story because, as much as I love his craziness, I just don't think I can write for him and although Cheryl is in the story, she is severely lacking in lines for the same reason really. Archer, Malory, Lana and Cyril **** have the biggest roles seeing as they appear to be the 4 main characters of the show and are also my favourites, Pam and Ray just appear every now and then because why the hell not? All other characters featured in the story were all formed in the deep, dark, hidden sector of my brain which conjures up evil things for fictional people to endure. As you will see, this fic really challenges the relationship Archer has with his mother because I just love how messed up it is (and Malory is my favourite character, who is also probably me in about 30 years... minus the hyper-sexuality! XD)**

**Very long A/N there but I hope you enjoy my first Archer fic and if so, then I may write some more!**

* * *

KABOOOOOM!

An old warehouse near the docks erupted in a mass of red hot flames and thick black smoke. "Holy shit, that was close!" A male voice chuckled as he dusted down his black turtleneck.

"Archer, that was not _close_ that was idiotic!" The female agent, Lana Kane, yelled at Sterling as she rose from the pavement which they were catapulted into from the intensity of the blast.

"Well if I knew there was flammable gas filling the room from that busted pipe or that the whole shipment would catch fire so quickly then I wouldn't have fired my gun so stop playing the blame game when it was just a series of coincidences which happened to result in the building exploding, Lana!"

"You could've killed us, you ass!"

"But I didn't and now we don't have to deal with those guys anymore so it's a win, win!"

"You are so reckless!"

"Um guys..." A slightly more timid male voice interjected. "How are we going to explain this to Ms Archer? She expected us to turn in their inventory for a cash reward but we can't now that there's nothing left!"

"Relax Cyril; we've put an end to their smuggling and isn't that what really counts? By all rights we should still get the cash and be called heroes by the authority that didn't have the balls to do this mission themselves..." Archer confidently began to walk away from the burning inferno behind them. He had a suave stride to his step, almost as if nothing had ever happened.

"And what if there are more smugglers wondering where their goons and inventory went?" Lana rested her hands on her hips as she watched Archer walk back to his car. "I'm sure they'd be pretty pissed off with us."

"We'll worry about that when the time comes, if it ever comes!" Archer climbed into his car and slammed the door shut. He pressed a button which lowered the window. "I'll leave you two to inform mother of what happened..." He waved a dismissive hand out the window. "I need a drink after the day I've had." And with that, he drove off.

"Somehow I don't think Ms Archer is going to be too happy..." Cyril sighed as he and Lana returned to ISIS HQ to hear an earful from Malory Archer, the head of the organisation and Sterling's mother. This factor only meant that he would be in more trouble tomorrow.

"I am actually going to kill him one day." Lana hissed as she and Cyril left Malory's office.

"Kill who?" Cheryl piped up from her desk, eager to know the gossip.

"Archer. He totally left me and Cyril to sort out _his_ mess." Lana folded her arms across her chest.

"Join the club." Pam from H.R approached them with a bear claw in her hand. "If you work here and have never had the urge to kill him then you should be locked in the madhouse."

"And what's worse is that we don't know if there are more of those guys out there or what they're going to do to us when they find us." Cyril nervously added, pushing his glasses up and tugging nervously at his collar.

"Gang rape?" Another voice joined in the conversation; it was Ray who happened to be passing by the group.

"What? Ew, no thanks!" Cyril glared at the moustached blonde.

"I wasn't offering, jackass!" Ray swatted Cyril's arm with a notebook. "What are we talking about anyway?"

"How Archer cocked up our mission... again." Lana rolled her eyes. "Now, if you'll excuse me I'm going home for some much needed sleep, I can't be dealing with this right now." She shook her head with a tired sigh before turning and heading towards the elevator.

"I second that!" Pam ate the rest of her bear claw rapidly.

"You mean you're going to Lana's too?" Cheryl asked in her usual clueless manner, completely misunderstanding what Pam meant.

"No, idiot! I'm going to go to my home. I only agreed with the suggestion of leaving. If I spend any longer here today then I'm gonna go batshit crazy! Archer can do his own damn paperwork from now on!" Pam responded.

"Oh... that would make sense. Lana wouldn't let you in her bed anyway."

"Shut up, you twit. What do you know?" Pam huffed, giving up talking to her air-headed colleague and went to grab her bag from her office.

"I know who would wanna sleep with you..." Cheryl whispered cheekily.

"You what?" Pam poked her head around the doorway.

"Nothing!"

The rest of the agents began to clear out as night rolled in, Malory being the last to leave for she had a lot of paperwork to sort and phone calls to make. One phone call had been from said people that Cyril had been worrying about earlier, the men were not happy with the destruction of their warehouse and wanted answers. These men were drug smugglers, known as the 'Crimson Cobras' and kept most of their stock in the warehouse... before Sterling accidentally blew it up and now without any stock to sell, the men were after money to obtain replacement stock and transport which Malory didn't want to give them.

"You can take your offer and shove it up your overdosed ass!" Malory slammed the phone onto the desk and gulped down the last of her drink with a heavy sigh. She shook her head and pulled her coat on. "The problems I have to deal with every day are just ridiculous; I mean ISIS don't just do things for free. I don't know what was going through Sterling's head when he blew up that warehouse but he's going to be in serious trouble!"

* * *

As the alarm clocked buzzed and buzzed the next morning, it was evident that the person sleeping in the bed next to the nightstand wasn't going to be waking up anytime soon. Time ticked away and the clock soon read 10:30am; that's when Archer managed to finally wake up. He lazily reached his hand over to turn the clock directly to him.

"Oh shit!" He sat bolt upright and leapt out of bed as he realised how late he was. He knew his mother wanted to speak to him about yesterday and being any later than he already was would only anger her further, especially considering he drank too much last night and that was the only reason why he overslept.

After throwing on some clothes he ran to the lounge to pull on his shoes and grab his keys. "Damn it Woodhouse, why didn't you wake me?!" He was yelling as he hopped on one foot, pulling his shoe on the other.

"You told me never to disturb you or to go into your bedroom without permission, sir." The elderly servant responded from the kitchen.

"Well when I'm late then you bang on my door and yell at me until I'm awake, okay?"

"Yes sir. I'll remember that from now on."

Archer was near enough out the door when Woodhouse replied and he hurried to his car, practically throwing himself in it after he unlocked the door. He sped down the meandering streets until he reached the parking lot, which had no available spaces. "Damn it! Could this get any worse?" Archer turned his car around and drove down the block and the next one and the next until he found a space to park. "About frickin' time!" He paid for the ticket after stepping out of his car, which he placed on the dashboard before he departed from the underground car park.

As soon as he surfaced, a speeding car drove past and splashed him as it drove into a large puddle by the curb. "Fantastic..." Archer groaned and walked hastily down the very long blocks until he reached ISIS HQ. As the door to the lift opened and revealed the offices, he walked out and headed straight for his mother's office in silence. Usually he would see Cyril and/or Lana but he saw neither of them so he presumed they were in his mother's office waiting for him as well.

He reached the door and pushed it open to see the three of them all turn their heads to him, glaring. "Where the hell have you been and why do you look a mess?!" Malory yelled as she looked at her son's scruffy appearance- half tucked in shirt, loose tie, dirty shoes, uncombed hair and he was drenched from head to toe.

"I'm sorry I've been having the day from hell for it to only get worse from here, Mother so excuse me for not even attempting to turn up... oh wait, I did!" Archer shouted back as he marched into the room.

"And now you're leaving wet, muddy footprints on my carpet!" Malory gestured to the trail of muck behind her son.

"I think there are more important things to do than worry about a stupid carpet which you could easily replace considering how big your bank balance is." Archer grumbled, frustrated. "Oh and thanks for asking how I was after last night, shows how caring you are, Mother!"

"Yeah and thanks for leaving us to deal with the mission that _you_ messed up!" Lana hissed as she watched Archer join them at Malory's desk.

"How many times do I have to say I didn't mess it up, Lana?! It was an accident and I'm sure even you've heard of them." He turned his attention to Malory standing on the other side of her desk. "You can't let them blame me like this!"

"Judging by what Lana and Cyril have been telling me, it was no accident- it was complete and utter incompetence which is exactly what I can expect from you right now and even turning up late and in the mess you're in only proves it further!" She looks him up and down with disgust.

"Oh so now I'm a disappointment, am I?" Archer's hands clench into fists, he wasn't in the mood to have a fight with his mother right now, his temper was about to reach boiling point.

"You were to Lana and Cyril last night and you are to me right now!" Malory slammed her hand down on the desk, glaring coldly at her son whose angered gaze was locked firmly onto hers.

"Well I have news for you, Mother! You've been a constant disappointment to me my whole life; you're a terrible mother and I hate you and this stupid organisation!" Even after yelling such strong words, Archer was still far too angry to even react to what he said and he just stormed out of the room, past Cheryl, Pam and Ray who were eavesdropping and straight out of the building.

The room was silent as Archer exited; everyone had been left speechless for a few moments. Lana was first to break the silence as she noticed how hurt Malory was by her son's words. "Malory...? Are you okay?" She slowly rose from her seat and began to approach the other woman.

"Get out... all of you get out!" Malory was shoving both Lana and Cyril out of the door, causing Cheryl, Pam and Ray to back away swiftly. Lana tried to remain in the room but as soon as she was pushed past the doorway, Malory closed and locked the door aggressively. She never liked letting anyone see her weaker side and crying was definitely weak but that was all she could do right now.

"What the shit happened in there?" Pam asked as Lana and Cyril joined them all at Cheryl's desk.

"There was a bit of a family feud over last night and things got out of control." Cyril cleaned up the abusive language by being as vague as possible.

"Damn, Archer needs to straighten up his act otherwise he'll just get himself into more trouble and we won't be there to help him." Ray nodded his head to punctuate his sentence. The whole group was getting tired of Archer's selfishness and his ignorance in the field especially after nearly killing himself and two other agents the previous night.

"Well if we've got a bunch of junkies chasing after us and wanting our blood then we'll know who to blame." Lana sighed and folded her arms. She turned and looked over towards Malory's office and she spoke in a softer tone. "I've never seen the two of them so aggressive towards each other and I've never seen Malory that upset before."

"She's a tough woman, I'm sure after a drink or two she would've completely calmed down about it." Ray waved a dismissive hand before he headed off down the corridor to actually get some work done, unlike the rest of the group.

'A drink or two' didn't solve this problem, sure Malory had a drink or two but even after that she couldn't bring herself to do anything more. She threw her glass against the wall out of blind fury and it shattered into hundreds of tiny fragments. The normally empowered and dominant woman sank into her chair with a heavy sigh and rested her forehead against the palm of her hand as she placed her elbow on her desk. She knew she wasn't the world's best mother but what Sterling said really struck a nerve.

There were a few minutes of prolonged silence which enabled Malory to compose herself somewhat and then the phone rang. On the other end was the same man from the Crimson Cobras who called last night and he was still after money. He was the kind of man who wouldn't give up and Malory didn't need him pestering her today so instead of even conversing with him she merely just dropped the phone back down with a groan. Today was going to be a long day...

* * *

Sterling stormed out of the Laundromat guise for ISIS HQ and his shoulder bumped into another man's. "Watch where you're going, idiot!" Sterling glared as he dusted his shoulder off from having touched a stranger.

"My apologies sir, I am dreadfully sorry." The man responded. He was a tall man, dressed in a suit and black trench coat; his eyes were hidden by the brim of his fedora. He had the look of a 1920's mafia hit man of some sort which, to Archer, looked pretty cool.

"The world's big enough for two people to walk in... just maybe not when they're having a shitty day." Archer awkwardly scratched the back of his head, he felt slightly guilty for yelling at such a polite man.

"I completely understand mister...?"

"Archer, Sterling Archer."

"Ah, Sterling Archer... I have heard of you, the not-so-secret secret agent. I am Roderigo Castor and I too have been having 'a shitty day'." The man even used air quotes. He definitely seemed to be on Archer's wavelength.

"Yeah? Bet yours wasn't as bad as mine."

"Oh really? A competition now? Well, I was expecting a delivery for some... friends this morning and it never arrived, the people who were to deliver it changed their plans and now my men are after my blood for not providing them with this important shipment."

"Wow... that is a pretty... shitty day."

"You know, I could use a man of your... expertise to assist me and hopefully get my friends back on my side." A hopeful smile appeared across the man's features.

"I dunno about that, I mean I don't just do things because I can... mostly."

"How about we discuss this over a drink?" Roderigo took out a bottle of whiskey from his coat pocket which Archer took immediately and he began gulping it down. "You do realise that with you assisting me, it will be dangerous but a guaranteed success with more people on our side... I could use extra help." Roderigo was hinting at a task for Archer to embark on but in response he held up a hand to indicate that he was busy. "Sterling?" He continued to gulp down the alcohol. "Sterling!" Archer almost choked as his name was yelled and he stopped drinking.

"What?"

"Do we have a deal?"

"Sure, sure... I know just the people who can help."

Later that same day, Archer met up with Lana and Cyril to inform them of the job they could help him with. "... Plus this'll prove to Mother who can do a good job without her always telling me what to do and I'll go back to being ISIS's number one agent!" He finished with a confident laugh.

"That's all you care about, isn't it? Proving your mother wrong and making yourself look like the big hero..." Lana folded her arms, unimpressed. "Your mother was really hurt by what you said and after abandoning me and Cyril last night, you can count me out."

"Fine, be that way! At least I got you Cyril... and I do mean 'least'." He clapped a hand onto Cyril's shoulder in a friendly manner, although he had just insulted the man.

"Um no... no you don't, Archer." Cyril shifted away awkwardly and stood beside Lana. "You've been far too arrogant on missions recently and quite frankly you're even more of an ass in the office than usual and it's becoming even more difficult to tolerate. You're on your own for this one..." He turned and left before he would receive a punch in the face, which he knew Archer was tempted to give.

"You really need to learn to think before you act, you know." Lana spoke softly with a sigh. She pivoted on her heels and made her exit after she had finished.

Archer was left speechless as his fellow agents left their usual cafe without even a second glance. He sighed and paid for his drink before leaving shortly later. This was going to be a mission Archer would do on his own and when he successfully accomplishes it and is showered with praise and rewards, he will make the others regret not helping him out. That thought made him smile slightly like a light had just been shed on the darkness. He pulled out his phone from his pocket; dialling the number Roderigo had given him earlier.

"Yeah, it's me... I'll be going solo on this one."

On the other end of the line, Roderigo was at his rather large apartment and was with several other men, all dressed in suits as well. As Archer confirmed he was to be aiding them, he smirked "Meet me at my apartment tonight, 9pm for a briefing of the plan. I'll text you the address." And he hung up, then he texted the address to Archer before tossing the phone onto the table next to some wires and small devices. "Gentlemen... it begins."

That night, Archer met Roderigo at his apartment at 9pm, the scheduled time. The corridor was silent as he waited to be let inside. The door opened and Roderigo greeted him. "Mr Archer, glad you could make it." He stepped aside to let Archer enter the room.

"So what've we got going on here then?" He took a seat on the sofa and looked around at the other men who filled the room. The table had a set of blueprints and photos on it.

"The men I told you about earlier, their base is in this abandoned shop on Industry Way. After I left this morning, I sent them a message telling them how badly we needed our delivery and if we don't get it by the end of the week then..." He made a gesture with his hands to signify an explosion. "We'll take over their business and get the money as well as the deliveries so either way we get what we want but hopefully we won't have to resort to the latter."

"And what's my job in all of this?" Archer raised an eyebrow as he studied the blueprints.

"Well, we need your skills as an agent to infiltrate the base and set up these cameras in these designated points so we can listen in on what they are planning to do about a replacement shipment." As Roderigo explained, he pointed to several points marked on the blueprints.

"I can do that..." Archer nodded and picked up the bag of devices which he unzipped to look inside. "I haven't seen cameras like these before..." He looked at the tiny black boxes which sat in the bag; they could easily be hidden in the building if he placed them properly.

"They're a new design; we've got a clever bunch of men here... and I don't like being screwed over." Roderigo rose from his seat and walked over to the kitchenette. "Would you care for a drink before you go, my friend?"

"Would I?!" Archer perked up, he was clearly enjoying being with these other men, they seemed to understand him and they had pretty much the same jobs for him to do as ISIS did which meant he knew exactly how to handle things professionally. This was the beginning of a beautiful friendship...

* * *

Meanwhile, back at ISIS most of the agents had left for the night and only a few remained present.

"I'm gonna go get so shit-faced!" Ray chimed in a sing-song voice as he walked briskly to the elevator with Lana laughing behind him.

"Just remember you gotta be here tomorrow and not lying in bed all day with a 'stomach bug'." She nudged him playfully with her elbow as they entered the elevator and pressed the button.

The floor fell silent, much to Malory's relief as she needed some quiet time to herself. Her quiet time mostly consisted of a drink or two as she smugly looked at her bank balance, picturing herself having a money shower. But, today's quiet time was much different... she was reflecting on what Sterling said to her earlier and how much it had eaten away at her all day.

However, her train of thought was cut short when she heard some loud noises from one of the offices down the hall. "Oh for the love of God!" She exhaled heavily and rose from her chair, taking her drink with her as she marched out of her office.

It was empty, suspiciously empty... Malory's blue eyes surveyed the room carefully until she saw a pair of legs lying in one of the doorways and she rolled her eyes. "Whoever that is laying on the floor, you better not be bleeding or vomiting or... whatever on my carpet otherwise there'll be hell to pay!" She had to investigate whatever this person was doing on the floor so she approached the doorway only to find Cyril on the floor with a trickle of blood streaking down the side of his face and several armed men pointing revolvers in her direction.

"Ah Ms Archer, seeing as you never have time to talk on the phone, we thought paying you a visit would be much easier." A sly grin appeared on the mystery man's tanned face. He had a tattoo of a red snake on his arm and Malory instantly made the connection- he was the leader of the Crimson Cobras. She finally gets the chance to meet the man face-to-face, not that she ever wanted to but she still wasn't persuaded enough to give him the money, even with half a dozen guns pointed at her.

"Well you've wasted your time!" Malory shot him a glare and gulped down her drink, the ice cubes clattering against the side of the glass as she finished it.

"We were hoping we didn't have to resort to this but after seeing one of your agents, one who ruined our shipment, collaborating with our dealing partners who are now out for vengeance because of that, we just can't take the risk of losing any more men or our entire business." He waves the gun casually as he listed the reasons why they were in ISIS HQ, the thin black moustache that draped across his upper lip moved up and down as he spoke in a rapid pace.

Malory looked puzzled. "I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about." She folded her arms across her chest defensively, although it was true- she really didn't know what they were talking about.

"Conspiracy, Ms Archer. You send your agents to speak with our dealing partners about the loss of their shipment, form an alliance with them to take us out and steal our business and we can't let that happen."

Another man stepped out from behind the door with a chloroform-soaked rag and the next thing Malory saw was blackness...

* * *

Cyril had remained on the floor where the Crimson Cobras had left him for a while until he finally regained consciousness but he was too disorientated to move. He held his head and felt a liquid on his fingers. He carefully rose to his feet and walked to a mirror to examine his wounds before attempting to patch it up. He felt a little uneasy on his feet and he kept on having to put his hand on the wall to support himself.

He had no recollection of what happened, he just assumed that he had drank too much and passed out as there was a smashed glass on the floor and the smell of alcohol radiated from the carpet. By the time he had finished playing doctor on himself, it was only a few hours before he'd have to be at work anyway so he figured that taking a brief nap in his office wouldn't do any harm... so that's what he did.

Pam was the first to arrive that morning and when Cyril woke he heard her voice, which seemed much louder first thing in the morning. "Holy shitsnacks, what happened here?"

"What...? My office? Yeah, it's a little messy... and I can't remember why, but I'll get it cleaned up." Cyril waved a hand at the mess of papers, glass, stationery equipment and other items that littered the floor.

"Not just your office but the rest of the building!" Pam pointed over her shoulder, indicating the further mess she walked past to arrive.

"What do you mean the rest of the—" Cyril had climbed out of his chair and stood in the doorway, looking out at the rest of the floor and he was cut off by his own shock. "Oh..." The floor looked as if a tornado had struck, all the equipment and furniture had been scattered in disarray, making the room almost unrecognisable.

As other agents slowly began to arrive, Cyril felt like a broken record having to repeatedly say that he had no idea what happened last night to almost everyone who passed him.

Lana found it odd how quiet Malory's office was and that the door was wide open so she excused herself from the gossiping crowd to take a look inside. "Malory?" The room was silent and a mess, like the rest of the floor. There was a small, red envelope on her desk which caught Lana's attention so she opened it and a disc fell out. "What the...?" She asked herself, hoping it wasn't another of Malory's sex tapes.

She had debated putting the disc into the computer for a few, long minutes before her curiosity got the better of her and she placed the disc into the disc drive. Thankfully it wasn't a sex tape but the contents of the disc shocked Lana even more. It shocked her so much that she ran out of the office and grabbed the phone on Cheryl's desk, beginning to dial when another pair of hands grabbed at it.

"Get your own!" Cheryl tried to pull the phone out of Lana's grasp.

"What the shit?! Let go right now!" Lana was still yanking at the phone, desperately needing to dial a number.

"You're not my supervisor!" Cheryl screamed at the top of her voice which then earned a slap around the face from Lana.

"I _need_ to make a _very_ important phone call and this is the nearest phone." Lana gritted her teeth and glared at Cheryl before she relinquished the phone. "Thank you."

"Why d'ya need the phone so badly anyway?" Pam asked, having witnessed the fight for the phone.

"Shh!" Lana hissed in response as she waited for the person on the other end of the line to pick up. "Archer, thank god you picked up!"

"Come to beg for forgiveness now, huh?" He chuckled arrogantly and after his successes with the first part of his latest mission, he felt the right to be. He was enjoying being with his new friends and it felt like he had known them for years, he had settled in with them so easily.

"What? No, you asshole! You need to get to ISIS right now, it's an emergency!" Her hand clenched into a fist as she was losing her already very thin patience with this man.

"What kind of emergency?" Archer raised an eyebrow curiously, deep down he was concerned... only slightly. Sure, he said he hated the organisation and sure, he walked out but those people have been through a lot with him and something was telling him that they needed him.

"A pretty big one!" Lana waited as there was a moment of silence on the other end.

"I'm on my way..."

He hung up the phone and Lana exhaled heavily as she placed the phone back on Cheryl's desk.

"Did you just call who I think you called?" Ray questioned as he placed a computer monitor onto a nearby desk, which was his contribution to cleaning up the part of the building that wasn't his work-space. He exhaled sharply and rested a hand on his lower back. "Man, I am not cleaning up anything else here!"

"Yes, yes I did because it was important and you'll find out why when he gets here!" She was clearly stressed about the whole matter as she wouldn't normally snap at Ray unless he majorly pissed her off.

Archer arrived a few minutes later and as he was just about to open his mouth to make a really bad joke about the mess of the office, Lana interrupted him. "Not a word... now follow me, this is more important."

He sighed and followed the female agent into his mother's office, with the other colleagues from their little entourage not far behind. "Lana, what's this about? I'm done with ISIS now, why drag me back here?"

"_Un_finished business..." She played the disc.

A man was talking directly to the camera and he was wearing a red vest that showed off the tattoo of a snake on his arm, which Lana had to point out to Archer. "The Crimson Cobras from the other night, they're not done with you yet... that's why I need you here."

"Now then, agents of ISIS... I tried to be friendly, asking for payment of the damaged goods so we could merely replace what we had lost the other day but after several attempts of trying to be nice about it we have changed our minds." The man's clearly fake smile faded and his tone became dark and serious. "After one of your agents was spotted conspiring with our clientele regarding said lost shipment and after being sent a threatening video regarding a bomb from those particular clients, we cannot risk losing our entire business so instead we will take over ISIS. How will we do this? Well, for starters... we have your boss and we won't be letting her go until you are out of our way." The camera was moved and now focussed on the far side of the room where Malory was being held. She had been gagged and chained to the wall, she had various cuts and bruises on her skin and her clothes were torn in several places. She looked tired and weak, clearly she had been beaten and possibly had worse things done to her as well.

"Mother..." Archer muttered, almost inaudibly. The guilt suddenly struck him like he had hit a brick wall.

"And if Castor thinks he can hire you to assassinate us, he can think again. I'm sure the attack on your building last night was a little wake-up call that we are _deadly_ serious about this." He pulled a gun out of a holster attached to his leg and pressed the barrel to the side of Malory's head. As the cold metal pressed against her skin, Malory whimpered into her gag in fear. "As much as I would love to keep your boss around, because she's quite a catch..." his hand cupped Malory's breast and he gently squeezed it, smirking at the camera just to anger those watching that little bit more. "If you don't surrender by the end of the week then we'll shoot her and come after the rest of you to do the same. Time is ticking..." The message cuts out straight after.

"Shit... Lana, this is all my fault."

"Well, duh! I _did_ repeatedly try to warn you about this exact thing happening."

"No, no, no, not that... well, yes that too but I mean the other guy, the guy they were meant to deliver the drugs to, Castor, I was the agent they saw with him but I didn't know he threatened them. He just told me he had spoken to them about needing a replacement shipment and he didn't even say who 'they' were! That dirty, lying bastard is going to pay for this!" Archer yelled with fury as his hands balled into fists.

"Right, but first we need to save your mother and the future of ISIS." Lana pointed out.

"Well, obviously." Archer loosened his clenched fists and turned to face her. "We need a plan... and weapons."

"We've already found their base, it's on Industry Way and they mentioned a bomb threat so we'll have to be very careful not to blow it up ourselves so we have to break in stealthily and cautiously."

"Shit!" Archer just blurted the word out just as Lana had finished, which earned a sigh from her.

"What now?"

"It was me, I planted the bomb! I broke into a building on Industry Way and planted these devices which looked like cameras around the building! That means if we don't get there soon then the whole building will be blown to kingdom come! Castor had planned when he was going to detonate the bombs but he didn't give me the details."

"Let's prepare ourselves and get going then, we don't have time to waste! You've been inside; you'll have to guide us in carefully."

"Phrasing... boom!" Archer gave a childish smile, glad he could call it. "...Bad time. Sorry."

The two checked their holstered weapons for enough ammo before they turned to leave the office. Cyril was carrying his gun and checking it was loaded.

"Cyril what are you doing?" Lana rolled her eyes as she approached him.

"I'm going with you, you need as many agents as you can get." He turned to face them directly and a large, purple bruise was becoming visible on the side of his head, around the cut which the plaster had covered.

"Shit, Cyril what happened to your face?" Archer couldn't help but stare at the bruise.

"He's probably got a concussion, maybe brain damage, because of last night's attack and therefore he is _not_ going with us on this mission. Cyril, go and lay down." Lana became very forceful as she directed her attention to Cyril who slowly lowered his weapon in defeat.

"But I could help you!" He pleaded, wanting to help as much as he could.

"Honestly, you'd be more help if you stayed here and got some rest. Your head looks really bad..." Lana nodded to the bruise.

"I'm fine!" Cyril stepped forwards and his knees became shaky. He leaned against the wall with a sigh. "Okay... you're right. I'll stay here." As he tried to regain his balance, he collapsed on the floor with his back against the doorframe.

"I got it!" Pam walked over, almost as if on cue and she draped Cyril's arm over her shoulders as she hoisted him to his feet. "C'mon, if you wanna take a nap then don't do it in the doorway. You need that head of yours leaning on something softer." She walked him to his office and helped him lay down on the sofa carefully.

"Now we need to compensate for Cyril..." Lana rested a hand on her hip as she thought carefully.

"Phrasing... double boom!" Archer grinned but Lana just smacked him in the back of the head. "Ow!"

Ray had gone to retrieve some more weapons from the armoury and when he returned, he began to prep himself for the mission as well. All agents capable of helping were called in, this was a serious matter that could jeopardise the entire agency.

* * *

The agents all headed to the parking lot and climbed into their black cars. Lana was driving one of the cars and Archer was sitting in the passenger seat.

"So was I the one that got Cyril's head bashed in as well?" Archer asked out of the blue. He had been thinking about all of the events of the past few days and it all seemed to link back to the mission he ruined the other day.

"Well... it's not _completely_ your fault." Lana stopped the car before Archer could respond and she grabbed her gun. "Now, remember what we agreed. Let Ray lead the others in first so they can take out any guards, wait for the team on the roof to radio in and then we search for your mother and the bomb."

Archer nodded, also holding his gun ready for action. In the distance, the other black vehicles had pulled up outside the building and Ray stepped out, leading the other agents around the outside of the building and they broke in. Gunfire echoed down the dark, empty street as the secondary team which were on the roof made their way into the building from the top to work their way down.

"Area secure." The static voice on the radio reported to the car which Archer and Lana were waiting in several, very long minutes later. The pair nodded to each other and simultaneously opened the car doors.

"I'm coming to find you, Mother. Don't worry..." Archer mumbled as he nudged the car door closed and swiftly made his way to the building with Lana at his side.

Lana paused and picked up the radio from her pocket as another transmission was coming through. "Something's not right here...We've searched all 5 floors and met up with the ground team but we haven't found the leader or Ms Archer."

"What?" Lana held the radio to her lips. "Are you sure you've searched everywhere?"

"Every room on every floor, yes."

"Did the ground team check the basement? When I broke in the other day there was a secret stairwell to a basement." Archer leaned over Lana's shoulder to report into the small communication device.

There was an awkward silence for a few minutes. "Right, that's where we're going then." Lana nodded in agreement to her own plan. "Ray, do you hear me?"

"Hear ya loud and clear, hun!" He reported from his radio.

"You take your squad and search for the bomb, Archer and I are heading to the basement and everyone else who isn't with Ray, meet us down there." Lana waited for confirmation from each team leader before she slid the radio back into her pocket.

* * *

In said basement, the leader of the Crimson Cobras was hiding with Malory and a few other men. He strolled around the room casually with an air of confidence, completely unaware of what was happening above them. "Just imagine what I could do with all of ISIS' money! I could buy another business and earn even more money!" He laughed to himself, his pearly white teeth shining brightly against the darkness of his olive skin. He walked over to Malory, stopping only a few paces in front of her. "It's a shame that I have to kill such a beautiful woman... but if I leave you alive, that would only complicate matters." He grabbed her chin and just eyed her up and down. Malory tensed under his touch, she knew what was going to happen next, she's already had to endure such pain far too many times than she'd like to count.

His hand slowly trailed up her body, exposed as her shirt had been ripped right down the middle and his fingertips gently caressed the soft skin of her stomach but to Malory it felt so horrible, it felt as if his fingers were sandpaper and she just wanted to move away from him. She tugged and tugged at her restraints out of desperation but to no avail. The Crimson Cobras boss grinned as he slowly pushed the piece of material draped over the right side of her torso away and he cupped her breast, slowly lowering his head to her chest as he done so. Malory tried to protest but the gag only made that near enough impossible, she was praying someone from ISIS would find her soon and end this nightmare.

* * *

Meanwhile, Archer and Lana had infiltrated the building, guns at the ready just in case any other members of the gang were hiding and waiting for them. The ground floor was silent, seemingly deserted. "Which way to the basement, Archer?" Lana turned to face him and she stepped aside to let him lead.

"This way, it's hidden in one of the rooms at the back..." Archer progressed forwards, walking through the empty shop floor which was once full of customers and stock. They passed the counter and entered the back room quietly.

This room was dark so Lana turned on her torch to light their path. There were discarded boxes and pieces of merchandise littering the room and the agents manoeuvred around them carefully until they reached the next door. Archer pushed it open slowly.

This door led to a small corridor which would then take them to the basement. Archer turned to Lana and whispered "There could be guards down here, no one's checked." He nodded to the torch, gesturing for her to turn it off to not give away their position.

Lana switched off and pocketed the torch, holding her gun at the ready. The two agents walked quietly down the corridor with the weapons primed; only coming to a halt at the corner where they heard voices. Two men stood by the door which would take them to the basement and they too were armed.

Archer poked his head around the corner swiftly to take a look at how many guards were there and what weapons they were carrying. He used hand signals to tell Lana to take out the one on the left while he would shoot the one on the right and if executed properly then they were to succeed easily. He held up fingers to indicate counting and of course, they would attack on the third.

1...

2...

3!

Archer and Lana leapt out from the corner and fired wildly at the guards, bullets hitting their bodies in quick succession but as they fired back at the agents there was a cry of pain followed by a "Damn it!" from Lana.

"Lana, are you okay?" Archer hurried over to her once both of the guards had fallen dead on the floor. He knelt down beside her as she was sitting on the floor, clutching her leg.

"I got hit... Luckily it missed anything important." She forced a smile as she removed her hand from the wound and winced with pain. The bullet had deeply grazed the side of her leg and blood slowly oozed out of the cut and the rip in her trouser leg.

"Let me sort that..." Archer ripped off the piece of fabric on the leg of her trousers which was already torn and he tied it tightly over the wound to add pressure and to work as a makeshift bandage until they could get proper medical care. "And to make you look stylish..." He ripped off the other trouser leg so the lengths matched again. "Now you have cut-offs!"

"Thanks Archer..." Lana smiled at him after he had finished tending to her wound. "You know, sometimes you're not as big of a douche as you make everyone think you are..." She slowly rises to her feet, picking up her discarded gun and reloading it. The compliment made Archer smile slightly; it seemed he was winning Lana over again.

"Ready?" Archer looked over at her as he had walked to the door leading to the basement. Lana nodded in response and so he slowly pushed open the door, trying to minimalise the noise created. The door revealed a long staircase which would hopefully lead the agents to the Crimson Cobras and Malory.

The two agents began their cautious descent down the stairs but Archer froze as he heard sounds slightly further ahead, causing Lana to almost bump into him as his stop was quite spontaneous. His whole body tensed up as he knew exactly what was happening and even the thought of that was usually just sickening but right now, given the circumstances and events as of recent, it made him very, very angry.

The Crimson Cobras boss had slid his hand into Malory's underwear and his head was at her breast, biting and licking, as he violated her. She cried into her gag, hoping someone would hear her muffled, incomprehensive pleas for help. A couple of the other men in the basement were watching rather enthusiastically whilst others were loading weapons, checking over plans and doing other such tasks, occasionally casting a glance over to the corner as well.

"That bastard is gonna eat some bullets, big time..." Archer glared and continued walking down the stairs, much quicker now.

"Archer, wait!" Lana frantically whispered to try and stop him as back up hasn't arrived yet but he wouldn't listen to her. He had caused all of this and now he was going to put an end to it.

"Let my mother go right now or I swear to God I'll shoot your head right off and paint the walls with your brain!" Archer stood at the bottom of the stairs, his gun aimed at the head of the man who was clearly enjoying the company of his mother.

The boss turned to face Archer with a smirk as he and the other men from his gang all took out their weapons and aimed them at the agent. Lana lost her footing and half stumbled, half limped down the stairs into sight of the Crimson Cobras. She drew her weapons and stood with Archer, ready to fight. "Now what do we do, genius? We're outnumbered!" Lana leaned over and whispered to Archer angrily. If only he waited until back up arrived then they wouldn't be staring at the barrels of far too many guns.

"All we gotta do is keep everybody alive until the other guys get down here..." Lana rolled her eyes at Archer's very simple, very obvious and very unhelpful plan.

"Do you really think you can stop us, Sterling Archer? That little mishap the other night was an accident, merely a minor setback for us. We cannot be stopped so easily. And you can tell your little friend, Castor that we sent him a little present, well... more like five." The boss smirked; he knew that Archer would know exactly what he was referring to.

"Shit! The bomb!" Archer's eyes widened with shock.

"But don't you want to get even with that guy for lying to you?" Lana assumed that the bomb being returned to Castor and his men would be better than it being here.

"No, Lana! I planted six devices, one on each floor and one down here and if Castor detonates the bombs, not only would he blow up his own men but all of us too!"

"Enough games... I'm ending this now and getting out of here!" The Crimson Cobras boss aimed his gun at Archer. The echo of a bullet being fired filled the room and Archer flinched, squeezing his eyes closed.

There was no pain. He slowly opened one eye and saw the gang leader was holding his wrist in agony; his gun had been fired from his grip. The other ISIS agents came running down the stairs, guns at the ready.

"Sorry about the delay, some other men came in and started attacking us." One of the agents said to Lana as he reached the bottom of the stairs, his gun aimed at a member of the Crimson Cobras.

"What other men?" Lana turned to him curiously.

Before the agent could respond, another group of footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs swiftly. "Those other men..." The agent replied as men in suits all surrounded the ISIS agents.

"Castor..." Archer glared at the man who played him like a fool.

"I'm sorry Sterling but I had to lie to you because I knew you wouldn't do it otherwise. I hope there are no hard feelings... Now then, you Crimson Cobras are fools to think we would really not notice our own bombs planted at my apartment. Oh yes and one more thing..." He swiftly pulled out a gun concealed under his coat and shot the leader of the drug smuggling gang in the chest, causing him to collapse to the ground. The other members of his gang held their weapons, ready to attack the opposition. "You're business is finished."

"Wait... does anybody else hear that ticking?" Lana asked as there was a very faint ticking sound filling the room. The Crimson Cobra leader smirked with a light chuckle before he lost consciousness and was now lying dead in the middle of the room.

"The bomb! You didn't detonate it, did you?" Archer asked Roderigo.

"No, I made sure the control switch was deactivated when we found the others in the apartment."

"He must've rigged the other one, knowing we'd come here so he could take us all out in one go! We've got to find it before it's too late!" Lana turned to the other ISIS agents who picked up on her hint immediately and began searching for the bomb while Roderigo's men were shooting at the Crimson Cobras who insisted on putting up a fight, clearly they had an escape plan, if needed; otherwise they wouldn't be wasting what little time they had.

Bullets filled the air and the sounds made detecting the bomb by noise increasingly difficult and each second that ticked by felt as agonisingly slow as an hour. "Archer, rescue your mother and get out of here!" Roderigo called over his shoulder as one of the drug dealers threw a punch at him, but was stopped.

"But..." Archer looked at Roderigo for a moment, then to his mother, then to the other ISIS agents looking for the bomb and in particular, Lana. "Fine, but I expect you out of here right after us." Archer rose to his feet, after looking for the bomb under the tables.

Roderigo offered a small smile as he shoved the man who he was fighting against the wall and hit him over the head with his gun for it was out of ammo. "You can count on it."

Archer returned the smile before he ran over to Malory, beginning to break away the locks on the chains. "Mother, I am so sorry about all of this and..." He ducked to dodge a projectile that was hurtled his way and it smashed against the far wall to his left. "We'll continue this later!" As Archer broke the first chain, Malory untied the gag and she pulled her skirt down in attempt to cover her legs a bit better and she adjusted the ripped remnants of her shirt across her chest.

Once freed, Archer carefully picked up his mother in his arms as he was fully aware that she could barely stand. He carried her towards the staircase, dodging the fighting going on all around them and he kept glancing down at Malory to make sure she was all right. As he reached the steps, he turned to look at Roderigo and he smiled slightly, Roderigo in return gave him a friendly salute before returning to his fight. Several of his men were now looking for the bomb as the Crimson Cobras were gradually being defeated and ISIS agents began leaving the building.

In the corner of the room, one of Roderigo's men had found the bomb and Archer exhaled a sigh of relief, all they had to do was deactivate it and everything would be all right.

"Come on, Archer!" Lana called from the top of the staircase as she waited for him.

"See you in 5!" Archer called over to his new friend before he ran up the stairs to meet Lana.

The agents all left the building and the majority of them left the scene after they had been instructed to do so by Lana, who appointed herself agent in command before Archer could shotgun it. The agents remaining stood across the street and Archer set down his mother carefully, still with an arm around her to keep her balanced.

"Mother, are you okay? I won't ask what happened because... ew." He grimaced just at the mention.

"Yes... I'm fine." Malory held her head, she felt a little uneasy and weak. She had been beaten quite forcefully so it was understandable. The ripped remains of her shirt had parted again and Malory fidgeted with them awkwardly to try and conceal the bite marks, scratches, bruises and her modesty from her colleagues.

Archer wiped away a trickle of blood that was on her cheek, presumably from a very violent slap. "I'll call Ron and get him to pick you up to take you home." Archer stated as he took off his black turtleneck to give to his mother so she could cover herself easier. He had a white vest on underneath which didn't look as awesome but he felt as if a good deed would help make amends to everything that had happened over the past couple of days.

There was a brief moment of silence and then... BOOOOM! The basement exploded in a mass fireball which then sent the rest of the building falling on top of it for the supporting walls had been destroyed from the intense blast of the bomb. "NO, Roderigo!" Archer ran across the street towards the burning debris of the moderately collapsed building but both Lana and Ray held him back.

"If you go in there you'll die, you idiot!" Ray yanked on his arm to pull him away but he them spoke in a softer tone. "There's nothing you can do..."

"He died a hero, Archer. He saved all of us." Lana offered a comforting smile.

"I guess you're right Lana... but he was my friend and he said I could count on him to make it out of there. A part of me was so sure he'd keep to that even though the bomb was still ticking." Archer lowered his head in defeat.

"Oh Sterling..." Malory slowly approached him and placed a consoling hand on his shoulder as Lana and Ray gave them some space. "If it wasn't for that man then none of us would have made it out of there. I'm just thankful that you didn't stay behind with him..." Malory whispered the last sentence so only her son could hear as she rested her chin on his shoulder and she hugged him gently, which she rarely ever did.

"Thanks Mother..."

Ron pulled up not far down the street and he stepped out of the car, rushing over as soon as he saw Malory. "Good gracious, what happened?! Are you all right, dear?" He tenderly took hold of his wife's hand.

"Yes, yes... I'm fine now, stop making such a fuss." Malory waved a dismissive hand.

"Ron, take care of her... and I'll be over in an hour to see how she is." Archer clapped a hand on Ron's shoulder gently. He was warming to this man, he could trust him to take care of his mother and he wasn't such a bad guy.

"I will." Ron nodded in confirmation and he began walking Malory to the car. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up and those wounds seen to."

"While you're doing that you can also get me a drink..."

"Fine. Nothing alcoholic."

"But..."

"No 'buts', you're not getting an alcoholic drink until I know you're okay and fit as a fiddle."

"I am!"

"There's no use lying your way out of this, missy because I can see you're not fine right now seeing as I'm doing most of the walking here."

"Ugh!"

Ron helped his wife into the car and he drove her straight home so he could take care of her and help her recover from her ordeal.

* * *

Lana wanted to return to ISIS to see if Cyril was still there and whether he was okay. Archer insisted on driving because of Lana's hurt leg, which she was now limping on more prominently. "You know, you really should get that checked out..."

"It's just a graze, it needs time to heal and I'll be fine, like nothing happened." Lana said as she carefully climbed into the car. Ray tagged along on the journey back, mainly to be nosy.

As they returned to HQ and exited the lift, most of the equipment and furniture had been returned to its proper place and has been cleaned. Cyril was still in his office, only now he was sitting up and drinking a cup of coffee. Pam and Cheryl were keeping him company of course, not that he asked for it!

"Oh my gosh, Lana what happened to your leg!" Was the first thing he said as he spotted her walk into the room.

"Woah, cool it Romeo!" Pam gently nudged Cyril to sit back. "You gotta be careful not to screw up that brain of yours with too much movement."

"So... how's the ol' melon?" Archer casually asked from the doorway.

"It's a little better than this morning, I'm not in as much pain... well, when I sit still I'm not."

"Then you've got to sit still for a while." Lana smiled and sat next to him on the sofa.

The group began conversing about the events of the day while Archer remained standing by the door in deep thought. He heard his name mentioned several times followed by some appraisal but he didn't acknowledge it. "Hey... I'll see you guys tomorrow. I've gotta go..." He gestured to the door before slowly backing away out of it after saying goodbye.

"Is he okay?" Cyril turned to Lana curiously.

"I don't know... He isn't normally this kind to other people." Lana reflected on what had happened earlier and then explained the whole thing to Cyril, Pam and Cheryl who missed out on it all.

* * *

Archer drove to his mother's, like he said he would and when he knocked on the door Ron answered it. "How is she?" He asked as Ron let him inside.

"I've cleaned up her wounds and she's sitting in the lounge, she looks better now." Ron nodded with a smile as he guided Archer through to the living room. "I'll leave you two alone for a minute..." He excused himself from the room politely.

Archer took a seat next to his mother on the sofa. The blood had been cleaned from her skin and her more severe wounds had been tended to, she also changed into her pyjamas and had a blanket draped over her legs. Ron really did a good job and Archer smiled slightly. The man wasn't as bad as Archer had initially judged.

"Mother... about what happened over the past couple of days..." He began, turning to face Malory as he spoke. "I... I didn't mean what I said and I didn't know this was going to happen..."

"I know." Malory interjected with a small nod. She folded her arms across her chest and sighed. "You came to rescue me... if you meant what you said then you wouldn't have bothered." The smallest of smiles formed on her lips as she looked at her son, it was a smile which said thank you.

"Yeah but I still shouldn't have said it because it's not true... I mean, you may not be 'Mother of the Year' but you're still my mother and you're all the family I've got."

"What's brought this sincere side out all of a sudden?" The tone in Malory's voice suggested that she was teasing him but she appreciated what he was saying.

"I just never realised how much of a major douche I was being until all of this happened and don't tell Lana this but she was right... thinking before acting really helps. That gang wouldn't have attacked ISIS or kidnapped you if I didn't mess up." He took a deep breath. "So I want to say that I'm sorry and I... love you."

Malory smiled and she unfolded her arms. "I love you too, Sterling." Archer moved closer and wrapped his arms around his mother in a hug, being careful not to touch any of her wounds. Malory responded to the hug and she rested her head on her son's shoulder as she hugged him back.

"It's getting late; you should probably get some rest... You need it after the day you've had." Archer suggested as he slowly parted from the hug.

"Hey, you don't get to tell me what to do." Malory pouted, narrowing her eyes. She always hated being told what to do by anyone, she was the dominant one and she was the one to give orders- that's how it always was and always will be.

"Well you know Ron won't stop telling you the same until you do it so wouldn't it be better to hear me tell you once than him tell you like a million times?" Archer tossed his hands in the air as he came up with a clearly over-exaggerated number.

Malory smiled and leaned over to give her son a kiss on the cheek before he stood up to leave. "Goodnight, Sterling... and thank you."

Archer smiled and made for the front door, passing Ron on the way. "If you tell anyone about this then I swear to God I'll make you regret it." He whispered into the older man's ear in a mildly threatening manner. "...And thanks for looking after mother."

"Hey, you know I'll do what I can for you both." Ron smiled and placed a hand on Archer's shoulder.

"Yeah... and I appreciate it." The two of them shook hands and Archer headed outside afterwards. He walked to his car and drove back home, instead of to a club or bar which is where he would normally go after a long day but not today.

Upon arriving home and opening the door, Archer noticed it was silent so he presumed Woodhouse had already gone to bed and when he looked at the time- 2:30am it made sense. He sighed and kicked the door closed gently with his foot whilst turning on the lamp. Archer slumped down on the sofa and all he could think about was all of the people who had gotten hurt because of all of this- Cyril and his concussion, Lana and her bullet wound, his mother both emotionally and physically and not forgetting Roderigo and his men. Normally Archer's actions wouldn't have such great consequences on those who he is somewhat close to and he was never normally so affected by it either.

Archer looked at the floor and rested his elbows on his knees while he thought deeply. Sometimes this job can put a lot of strain on a person both physically and mentally and it was just now when Archer realised how painful it could be. He was thankful he was alone for all he could do was sob quietly into his hands before tiredness finally took over.

* * *

The next few days were very different at ISIS, Cyril had some time off, Lana wasn't doing as many field missions and Malory seemed slightly softer and more fragile than normal but the biggest change was in Archer. He had less quips and attitude towards his colleagues and he wasn't as defiant as he usually was when someone would disagree with him. He was much quieter and closed off from the others until one day he came into his mother's office out of the blue and he needed to ask her something.

"Mother... can I talk to you for a minute?" Archer asked as he stepped through the doorway, looking over at his mother who was sitting by her desk. He gently closed the door behind him as he waited for her response.

"Of course you can." Malory was slightly surprised but she was also concerned, her son didn't normally ask such things in a serious manner. She was still a little fragile from her ordeal but she was very good at keeping her emotions well-hidden but with her son, she could sense how broken he still was over it all.

"Um... I had a phone call this morning about Roderigo's funeral and..." He sighs heavily as he sits down in the chair opposite. "I was wondering if you could go with me. I don't think I can do it alone."

"Of course I will, Sterling. I know how much this is upsetting you and I will be there for you..." Malory offered a smile, which her son returned in a thankful gesture and the two shared a much needed drink together.

* * *

The funeral was several days later and while both of the Archers were out for a few hours Lana, who was still temporarily out of action in the field, was left in charge. She was one of the few people who Malory could even remotely trust with her organisation.

Malory had met with her son at ISIS HQ and they drove to the service together, almost in absolute silence for Archer had no words to say and Malory didn't want to say any words. As she drove she kept glancing over at Archer with a grimace, she could see this was difficult for him and she just didn't like seeing him like this.

The service was brief but touching. Several family members and friends of Roderigo's gave speeches about their fondest memories with him, no hymns were sung because it wasn't Roderigo's style but instead the song 'Spirit in the Sky' was played. Archer looked up to the sky as the song played and the small gathering of guests sat in silence to mourn for their loss.

At the end of the song, the coffin was lowered into the grave plot and it was filled in by several men with large shovels. It was raining and as the gathering had dispersed after the grave had been filled, Archer walked over to the head stone with his mother at his side, holding the umbrella over the two of them while the heavy rain fell all around them. Archer read the engraved text and muttered an apology as well as a goodbye, regretting ever wanting to take revenge on this man for lying to him.

Malory placed a comforting hand on his shoulder to silently tell him that she was right there if he needed her. Archer rested his hand on top of his mother's and he squeezed gently, he's never felt closer to her than he does right now. The past few days have changed them both drastically but neither of them wanted to admit it although they could each sense a change in the other.

Archer turned away from the grave, he and his mother walked back to the car to return to ISIS, which Malory was hoping hadn't been run into the ground while she was away. Elements of her old self, before all of the Crimson Cobra incidents, were slowly returning which may not necessarily be a good thing for the others to endure but it was a sign that she was recovering, emotionally as well as physically.

The other agents thought it was best to not ask Archer about the funeral when he and Malory returned. He was very quiet, which was unusual for Archer and he didn't even stop to talk to Lana or the others as he passed them.

"He just needs some time..." Malory sighed as she approached the concerned group.

"Dare I say it but... I miss the old Archer. I know what happened wasn't easy for any of us but God, I hate seeing him like this." Lana leaned on her good leg as she rested a hand on her hip and watched Archer walk into his mother's office.

"I don't think I've ever seen him this emotional." Malory took off her coat and draped it over her arm as she thought back to how her son was at the funeral.

"How was it?" Pam asked while leaning against the edge of Cheryl's desk.

"It was... upsetting. Sterling was fighting back tears and seeing him like that really got to me too..." she explained, lowering her head slightly.

"You've both been through a lot, why don't you take a vacation?" Ray offered when he noticed Malory rub one of the bruises on her shoulder.

"What? Leave this place in your hands? Not a chance!" Although her response was in her usual sharp, cold tone when scolding her employees, she smirked in a teasing manner. Malory just couldn't leave work, she needed to keep busy to try and take her mind off of things and lounging around on holiday would only result in her thinking about it all again and the things that happened in that basement, she never wanted to think of again. "I might see if Sterling will take one though... he could use it." She pivoted on her heels and strolled into her office as she considered how the idea could help her son.

Archer was helping himself to a drink from his mother's cabinet when she had entered the room. She didn't mind him having the odd drink from her stash, provided she was welcome to one as well and almost as if prompted to, Archer offered her a glass as well. "Here... I appreciate you going with me today." He spoke quietly as his mother took the glass from his hand.

"You needed someone with you and it's about time I stepped up." She offered him a smile before taking a large gulp from the glass.

"You have done, you've really helped out and, in your own way, you always have done, Mother... Albeit, not in the most common or popular way." He swirled the liquid in his glass, the ice cubes clanging against the sides and he absentmindedly stared into the glass.

"Then allow me to interject and help you once more by saying that you need to take a vacation." Malory spoke softly but sternly.

"I... what? Are you serious?" Archer looked as his mother questioningly, she never suggested vacations.

"Yes, I am serious. You need some time to just relax and get back in the saddle, so to speak." She took another mouthful of her drink and she looked at him seriously, she was concerned for him and Ray's idea seemed like a good one.

"But I can't... What about you? You need someone to look after you."Archer was just finding excuses to not go, although he was using this one as a valid reason as well. He didn't want a vacation because he was upset, he would only want a vacation to have fun.

"I've got Ron. He's been taking such good care of me, he's like my own personal doctor, tending to my injuries so carefully and I'm pretty sure you wouldn't do that, given where most of them are." She folded her arms as if to say 'What else have you got?'

"Okay, I'll take a vacation... only if I get to pick the destination and I don't have to use regular airlines."

"Done."

* * *

Returning from his vacation, Archer felt refreshed and he strolled into his mother's office on Monday morning with a wide grin on his face and that was all she needed to see to be reassured.

Archer really brought colour back into ISIS as he adjusted rather easily to being back at work properly and with both Lana and Cyril back in action as well, it was almost as if nothing had happened. Their mission briefings were full of the usual banter and Malory seemed like her normal, dominating and strong self which was a definite comfort to Archer. After being given the details, the agents would set off, full of energy and ready to take on their mission without fear.

Their first mission back as a team couldn't have gone better and with Archer climbing out of the car proudly, recounting the tale like an excited child as he reminisces with Cyril only made Lana smile. Sure, he can be an ass at times, as Cyril has pointed out on numerous occasions but he just wouldn't be himself if he wasn't. He was talking about how 'Totally frickin epic and badass' the mission was, or something, Lana wasn't really listening. She followed behind the two men as they walked into the Laundromat guise for the spy organisation's HQ. "Hey, Lana." She felt glad to be back in the field after spending what seemed like far too long away from doing missions. "Lana!" The success of this mission was definitely something she would be happy to report back to Malory and she was sure Cyril would be thinking exactly the same after their last mission report with her, which didn't go down too well. She was picturing the whole scene now and the praise they would be given. "LAAAAAANNNNNNAAAAAAAA!" She hadn't been listening to Archer at all but hearing her name being called so loudly was enough to bring her into the conversation. Archer had a thing for yelling her name unnecessarily loudly for no reason, but who knows? He might have something useful to say, maybe some congrats on the mission if he had remembered anything that happened before his presumably very alcohol-filled vacation. He might have learned his lesson... for once.

"WHAT?!"

"Danger Zone."

Maybe she hadn't missed him as much as she initially thought...


End file.
